snow Posted October 21, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Well whoever said pointies are wimps hasn't met Nog (or Nog isn't a pointy ) today Nog had 3 stitches without sedation and was a very good calm boy and just lay there and let Helen do it they keep going on and on about what a good brave boy he is and telling me just how patient a patient he is even when they do stuff to him which undoubtedly stings he never makes a sound or tries to move, he lays on the table and just lets then get on with it, he's never had to be held down or muzzled no matter what they have done to him Soooo today was different ... Nog went in wearing a dressing and came out without it! Now this isn't especially something to be thrilled about as under normal circumstances the leg still needs to be dressed however this being Nog's broken leg theres not going to be anything "normal" about it naturally it seems Nogs body is rejecting the stitches, so much so that his body is pushing them out long before they would be due to be removed and once they are proud of the skin then the knots and ends catch in the fibre of the dressing and they suspect this might be pulling at the wounds, so no more dressing for the time being, this does however mean that we now have to be hyper vigilent for the wounds potentially opening up, and under no circumstances whatsoever must the leg get wet nor must Nog lick it as even a 5 second slurp could undo all the progress made so far so he now has an even bigger buster collar which is to be worn at all times including when crated in the car, the only time it comes off is for onlead walks and feeding when he can be watched like a hawk and prevented from bothering the leg. Needless to say Nog is utterly disgusted about it and is in a full on sulk Now the dressing is off we can at last see the state of the leg - and it's not pretty (though not quite as bad as I was expecting but not as good as I was hoping either). On the inside of the leg the plate is clearly visible so that has a doggy plaster over it and I have spares for when it falls off (apparently they dont stick terribly well). The outside of the leg the skin is at least covering the plate but the wound is still very raw and still oozing. If things progress as hoped in 10 days time we can start hydrotherapy instead of the laser therapy as the muscle in that leg has wasted a fair bit which is now very obvious without the dressing masking it and swimming and/or water treadmill exercise is the best way to build up the muscle without increasing any impact on the broken bones whilst they mend. I've managed to get a few grusome pictures all of the outside of the leg as it's almost impossible to get an angle where I can get a clear picture of the inside bit, but the inside is roughly the same as the outside except over the knuckle where the plate is covered with the plaster. I'll just post 2 in here but theres more in my photo album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cycas Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 Goodness, that must be hard. Wishing you luck with the supervision / nonslurping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumpole Posted October 21, 2009 Report Share Posted October 21, 2009 ouch poor noggin but what a brave boy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantan Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 for Nog. He's a brave boy indeed. I can't believe how good he is at the vets Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurel n Hardy Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 a big ol on his pointy nose from all us here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greytgirl Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 Nog! what a brave boy you are, lots of healing thoughts coming your way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisebt Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 Ouch poor Nog, hope he heals as quick as he can Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purrpuss Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 Lots and lots of good boy and healing thoughts to Nog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houndzrus Posted October 22, 2009 Report Share Posted October 22, 2009 Nog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mop Posted October 23, 2009 Report Share Posted October 23, 2009 Thanks for such a good photo of Nog's leg, I have sent Reiki direct to the injury, I find it is better for the injury. What I have found with hydrotherapy, the treatmill gives more control over the exercise, the speed can be regulated as well as the depth of water so the amount of weight bearing on the leg can also be regulated. Gracie used to have the water dropped to 1in deep for the last 5 minutes to make her work harder and she had to weight bare more. The pool is better for getting a good extension if dogs have a problem with this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tobleronie Posted October 23, 2009 Report Share Posted October 23, 2009 What a brave boy he is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow Posted October 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2009 Many thanks for all the reiki it's definately still needed Ohhkay so then today Nog spent all morning at the hospital, he had light sedation this time and deper stitches were put in, they needed the skin to grow back a bit before they could stretch it and pull the wound together. After yesterdays licking he has done a wee bit of damage to the leg, but it's not too significant and shouldn't be a problem he didnt uncover plate so thats the main thing. Something I learned today that I never knew is that the type of plate used is porous so bacteria can get into it, and with the leg now being left uncovered Nogs gone back onto the other AB's as well as the noroclav he's been on the past couple of weeks, so thats 4x baytril once a day, 1x noroclav twice a day, 1x tramadol twice a day, 1x rimadyl per day and because the rimadyl upsets his tummy 3 x antacids per day he's just had his dinner and there were 8 flipping pills in it bless him They are actually now quite pleased with his progress and the wounds are looking much better, we're still "not quite there yet" but getting closer - so much so that we don't have to go back for a full 7 days *yipppeeee* however Nogs back on full confinement, buster collar on 24/7 and no walkies for at least a week this is to stop the skin flexing and pulling around the stitches so it can heal nicely - tho try explaining that to him cos he's NOT amused he cannot go out again. If we have any problems in the next 7 days we can see our local/regular vet rather than go all the way over to the hospital so thats a real blessing too. In a weeks time provided it heals as they hope the next stage will be the rexraying of the leg and from there we're looking at a discharge back to our vet and commencement of hydrotherapy - meantime I am to continue the physio at home as much as possible. I continue to be gobsmacked at how much work this has been and how intensive (and expensive) the treatment is - not to mention how flipping long it's taking but if the end result is a fully functioning, weightbearing leg then I'll be happy - as will Nog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phoenyx Posted October 27, 2009 Report Share Posted October 27, 2009 Well done Nog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snow Posted November 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2009 Well we saw Hannes today who is the orthopedic surgeon that operated on Nog - he wanted to talk to us about the weird thing happening with Nog's leg it appears that Nog could be allergic to the plate as there is a definite demarcation line between the skin and tissue and the edge of the plate itself, he's also allergic to every form of suture including human grade ones they have now eliminated every single potential cause for the wound not healing, theres no infection, no bacteria, no allergies to the dressings, all stitches are out, and confining him with no walkies has made no jot of difference and yet the skin will not grow over the plate he's contacting the makers of the plate to find out if they have had any reports of similar problems so he can talk with other vets who may have had experienced anything like this. There are now only 2 real options, remove the plate now and go for external fixation or press on with twice weekly dressing changes and concentrate on healing the bones as fast as we can until they are strong enough to support the leg without the plate and then remove the plate. Option 2 is the best option - although it means we are facing twice weekly trips to the vet for the next few months there's always the slim chance that the skin will change it's mind and grow over the plate and if it doesn't then the bones will by that time be strong enough not to need the plate and it can be removed without requiring further surgery to the bones - if we opt for the external fixation then that would mean having to drill through the bones and it would take longer to heal. Nog is happily weight bearing on the leg, he's pain free, and has regained his lost weight, he's fit and happy and raring to go - we can't start hydrotherapy as the wounds are open so we will now concentrate on getting the bones fused/healed and that means road work - walkies can resume immediately, and will be built up daily the more he uses the leg the faster the bones will knit together, this should also build up the wasted muscle on the leg so we may not need hydro after all this is done. We're down to just the daily AB's but I have tramadol here if the leg gets a little sore with all the walking. Hannes made a point of telling me himself how special Nog is he thinks Nog is unbelievably patient he never requires sedation, lays happily and relaxed on the table regardless of what they do to him, has never once shown the slightest hint of being irritated or bothered by them working on him and gives smiles and cuddles to anyone who so much as looks in his direction - even on the table! he says Nog is a star and a credit to us I know I am utterly biased but it's great to hear feedback from all the vets & staff as to how special they think he is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yantan Posted November 6, 2009 Report Share Posted November 6, 2009 Nog you have impressed me greatly mate with your laid back attitude thro all you have endured Hope it's not too long before now those bones heal and I'll bet no one will be more relieved than your mum and dad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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